I have never worked in a kitchen where a Sharpie wasn’t part of every cook’s tool kit. Some have a veritable rainbow of the permanent markers embellishing the front of their chef coats, like so many ribbons decorating a General’s uniform. Others stash the iconic autograph tool behind an ear. A few brave souls keep them in a pants’ pocket, which can be a very dangerous gamble, given the tendency of an errant cook to throw food-stained pants straight into the washing machine. Sharpie and the inside of washing machine and, most likely, the dryer do not make a tasty combination. But, like a favorite knife, trusted spring-hinged tongs, or side towel, a marker is an essential tool. From dashing a quick scribble for your morning prep guy, to checking off the last of your mise en place and certainly for dating the masking tape adorning your station’s content, Sharpies are the little black dress of commercial kitchens. Like all tools of value, at least to their owner, vigilance is in due order to keep everything at arm’s reach. Sharpies just have a habit of walking away. They do! Somewhere around the time when the rush hits the line on a typical Saturday night and quiet after the storm, just in time to break down the sauté station and as the plastic wrap envelopes the pan of chopped garlic, you reach across your chef coat for your marker and grasp nothing but the aroma of the last pan-seared duck breast that left your hand. Gone. Trusty Sharpie has left you for the good graces of another comrade. We are all guilty of Sharpie Neglect. In the tumultuous upheaval that is nightly combat, waging war against the litany of demanding waitstaff, tyrannical chefs and the whims of the flow of customers, Sharpies get tossed about the kitchen in response to a quick beckon from one of the line guys. It is just what we do for each other. We shoot tequila after work; we bail a misguided dishwasher out of jail for his maligned behavior; we even trudge across town to pick-up a stranded sous chef. And, perhaps, in a lapse of our better judgment, we even lend our most favorite tools. But, if you had a really cool, trend-setting Sharpie, you would be less likely to absentmindedly let it lay about the produce inventory sheets. Or haphazardly chuck it over your shoulder to an unknown beggar trying to wrap-up for the night. And I am sure that is exactly what the folks at Paradise Pen Company were thinking when genius struck and they delivered the Sherpa to thankful kitchen grunts. Oh, and regular people, as well.

The Sherpa is a ‘shell’ that keeps your Sharpie looking like your Sharpie. Easily slipped over your trusty marker, the Sherpa is ripe with a great look and an even nicer feel in your hand. A tool of quality heft, well designed and easily operated, that makes you scratch your head and ask, Why wasn’t this invented a really long time ago? Dropping the Sharpie in a Sherpa is very much akin to milk’s leap towards immortality when it is turned to cheese; it takes on a new look, becomes something more than everyday and is sure to be memorable. Twist the end off of the Sherpa and drop your marker inside (or a few other specimens, including a few Pilot and UniBall pens – as if there is any alternative for a Sharpie!) and off you go. Sporting some 25 designs to suit the most adventurous of tastes in designer Sharpie-wear, there is a Sherpa for everyone. Each Sherpa is packaged in a reusable case with its own Sharpie just waiting to jump into action. They have thought of everything!

Offered through the Paradise Pen Company’s retail outlets dotting the country, as well as various pen and gift purveyors, the Sherpa also popped up on Amazon.com and Art Brown’s gargantuan online pen store, among others. Offered for around $30, the Sherpa is gold! Keep your Sharpie and other select pens healthy in a protective and very stylish home. More importantly, the Sherpa will ensure that when you reach, you will have something functional and fun to show for your effort. You won’t lend your pen to anyone ever again! And, you certainly will not let it out of your site. The cost of sporting a Sherpa comes back to you many times over in the potential loss of Sharpies throughout the course of a few days.

More information about the Sherpa can be found at SherpaPens.com, with the option to design your own, perfect for corporate gift-giving and having people think you are simply the greatest gift-giver. Ever!